Mailbag: How Can A Drafted Safety Be Relied Upon?

Tuesday, March 26, 2013 6:00 AM CDT

MARTIN HERNANDEZSAN ANTONIO, TXI keep reading how we should draft a safety since one of our safeties played only 3 games and the other one hasn't which means, as I've seen posted, they are "unproven". Wouldn't any safety, or any player drafted for that matter, be unproven as well?

Nick: Yes that’s right. But they’d also be drafted, probably in the higher rounds. When you take a guy right there you’re expecting him to be good, but yes, he’s unproven. Right now, the Cowboys have a solid player in Church who is coming off a very difficult injury and a fourth-round pick in Matt Johnson, from a small school who had more hamstring injuries in his first year than he has hamstrings.

Rowan: They’d be unproven, but they’d also provide more depth, and the Cowboys would hope that two guys can rise to the top and earn the position. The more able-bodied players available to compete, the better chances of finding a starting-caliber safety. A first or second-round safety should be able to vie for playing time immediately based on talent alone.

MARCO ASPAASVANCOUVER, WAWith this new helmet rule, what do you think the over/under will be for penalties DeMarco Murray will get? I'm thinking 6, maybe 8, as one of his favorite moves is to lower his head for extra yards. I’m concerned, we have enough penalty problems as it is.

Nick: Let’s just wait and see how they call this penalty. I’ve seen the Trent Richardson play against the Eagles, but I want to see more video examples of what will be deemed a violation. There is a difference of lowering your head and using your helmet as a weapon. My guess is this penalty won’t be called that often.

Rowan:I’d think more like two. It’s hard to really guess until we can

get a feel for how officials will call it. At the Owners Meetings, it was made clear that the penalty would only be called when the helmet ducked completely down and the crown of the helmet was used purposely as a weapon to deliver a blow. I think running backs will begin to get a feel for what they can and can’t do, especially after getting penalized one or two times. But it’ll be a difficult call to enforce.